Planer-knife sharpener.



W. HARPER & PW. CONVERSE.

PLANER KNIFE SHARPENER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT; 18, 1908.

Patented May 30, 1911.

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W. HARPER & F. W. GONVERSE. PLANER KNIFE SHARPENBR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, 1908. 993,366, Patented May 30, 191 1.

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WILLIAM HARPER AND FRANK WILLARD CONVERSE, OF BELOI'I, WISCONSIN, AS-SIGNORS TO THE BERLIN MACHINE WORKS, OF BELOIT, WISCONSIN, A CORPORA-TION OF WISCONSIN.

PLANER-KNIFE SHARPENER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM HARPER and FRANK W. CONVERSE, citizens ofthe United States, both residing at Beloit, in the county of Rock andState of Wisconsin, have jointly invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Planer-Knife Sharpeners, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention concerns devices for sharpening the knives of planer headsor cylinders, whereby their edges will be exactly parallel to thehorizontal plane surface of the platen regardless of improper alinementor uneven wear of the bearings for the cylinder shaft. Accordingly, wemount the sharpener on the frame of the machine and sharpen the kniveswhile they are in planing or operative position, the sharpener desirablyhaving a rotary emery or similar wheel slidable on a supporting bar anddriven by an electric or other motor also preferably mounted on the bar.

On the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification,and to which reference should be made in connection with the followingdetailed description, we have illustrated a desirable embodiment of ourinvention, like reference characters referring to the same partsthroughout the various views.

On these drawings,Figure 1 is a vertical section through a planer of theordinary construction, showing our knife-sharpening device appliedthereto; Fig. 2 is a side elevation, certain parts being in section andothers broken away, of the central portion of a planer having mountedthereon our sharpening mechanism; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of thesharpener illustrating a portion of the bar on which it is mounted 5Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 3, as viewed in the directionindicated by the arrows; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on line 55 ofFig. 3, as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows; Fig. 6 is asection on line 66 of Fig. l; and Fig. 7 is a side elevation of theconstruction shown in Fig. 6, the portion of the yoke shown in Fig. 6being omitted.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 18, 1908.

Patented May 36, 1911.

Serial No. 453,593.

end with a bevel pinion 15, each of which meshes with the teeth ofanother bevel gear 16 on the lower end of a screw-shaft 17 having abearing at 18 and a screw-threaded connection with the side or lateralear 19 on the yoke. By applying a wrench or handle to either of thesquared ends 20 of the shaft 13 and rotating the same the yoke may beadjusted substantially-vertically in parallel relation to the tophorizontal surface of the platen 12. The yoke 11 carries and supportsthe usual knife-equipped cylinder 21, the shaft 22 of which is rotatablein the bearings 23, 23. Our improved grinding mechanism is preferablysupported on this adjustable yoke by means of a pair of supporting studsor posts 24, each secured-to a bracket 25 bolted or otherwise secured tothe under surface of the yoke 11. Each stud or rod 24 has slidinglymounted thereon a bevel washer 26 yieldingly pressed toward the bracketby a compression spring 27, the tension or action of which may beregulated and adjusted by turning the nut 28 against which one end ofthe spring bears. The grinder or sharpener proper is slidingly mountedon a transverse supporting bar 29 detachably secured to the supportingstuds or posts 24 by means of a pair of jaw members 30 and 31 slidablymounted on the bar and each equipped with an outwardly-projecting jaw orfinger 32 adapted to extend over one of the posts 24 to support the bar,the under surface of each of these jaws being slightly inclined so as tosecure a wedge action on the studs or posts. These jaw members 30 and 31may be readily fixed in supporting and operative position by theset-screws 33 adapted to bear against the under surface of thesupporting bar 29.

The grinder proper is mounted on a bracket or member 34 slidablelongitudinally on the bar and equipped with an internal spring 35bearing against one face of the bar and acting to prevent the support ormember 34 from vibration. On one face this block 34 has an undercutvertical groove 36, slidable and adjustable in which we provide agrinder-block 37 having at its upper end the pair of bearings 38 and 39,rotatable in which is a grinder-shaft 40 equipped with a groovedoperating pulley 41 and having between the bearings a grinding wheel 42of emery or other suitable material, the wheel being partially incasedby a housing 43 supported on the sliding block 37. Also suitably mountedon the block 37 are a pair of grooved guide sheaves or small pulleys 43and 44, coiiperating with which is a cord or driving belt 45 whichpasses around the pulley 41 to operate the grinding wheel, and is drivenby mechanism described hereinafter.

The block or support 34 is equipped on its lower portion with adepending bracket 46 slidable through an aperture of which is ascrew-threaded rod 47 fixed at its inner end and to the adjustable block37, the threaded rod having a knurled nut 48 below the bracket 46, andabove the latter, and interposed between its top face and the bottomface of the block 37, we place a coil expansion-spring 49 whichyieldingly holds the grinding wheel up to its work, the travel of theblock 37 being limited by the engagement of the nut 48 with the bracket46. The sliding block 37 is also provided with an other threaded rod orpost 50 fixed thereto and extending through another aperture of thebracket 46, the threaded portion of this rod or shaft having thereon asupplemental stop or gage-nut 51, by the use of which the edges of allthe knives may be made uniform.

A slotted stop bar 52 is hinged on the support 34 at 53 by means of apair of side arms 54 which extend beyond the fulcrum or hinge-pin 53 andare provided with adjustable limiting or stop screws 55, a pair ofrollers 56 rotatably mounted in the groove of the bar 52 projecting outof the same at one side and being adapted to be engaged by the faces ofthe knives during the grinding operation, as is indicated in Fig. 4.

On the outer end of the transverse grinder-supporting bar 29 we positionan electric or other motor 57 around the driving pulley of which thebelt or cable 45 passes, while at the other end of the bar this cable orbelt encircles a guiding pulley 58 rotatably-mounted on the lower end ofan arm 59, hinged at 60 to the jaw member 31, and spring-pressed awayfrom the motor 57 by a spring 61 encircling the hinge-pin or stud, andbearing at its opposite ends against the arm 59 at 62 and against aprojection 63 on the jaw member 31.

The operation of this device is substantially as follows: The planercylinder 21 is turned around until the knife thereof to be ground oracted upon by the grinding wheel 52 comes in contact with the stop orgage rollers 56, as is shown in Fig. 4. The adjustable grinder-plate orblock 37 is then fed upwardly by the manipulation of nut 48 sufficientlyto act on the edge of the knife and sharpen the same, the emery or otherwheel 42 being rotated by the belt 45, driven by the electric or othermotor 57, and passing around the pulleys 43, 41, 44 and 58. The supportor bracket 34 is pushed along the bar 29 to grind all portions of theknife edge, as will be readily understood, thev knife when beingsharpened being in planing or operative position, and since the bar 29is supported by the studs or posts 24 in exact parallelism with the tophorizontal surface of the platen, the knife edges will be ground exactlyparallel to the platen, so that after the grinder has been removed thecylinder will be capable of producing boards or lumber of uniformthickness, regardless of the uneven wearing of the bearings of thecylinder shaft or the improper position thereof. The grinding wheel 42may be fed up gradually to put the proper edge on the knife, the upwardtravel of the wheel and its sliding block 37 being limited. by the stopor gage-nut 51. It will be observed that the spring-actuated pulley 58at all times maintains the operating belt 45 taut so that an effectiveand efiicient operation of the grinding wheel is secured. When the nextknife on the cylinder is to be ground, the one already operated upon canpass by the stop or gage rollers 56, since the bar 52 can be swungtemporarily out of the way on the fulcrums or hinge-pins 53. After allthe knives have been ground and sharpened the bar 29 and the partssupported thereby may be readily removed from the studs 24 by looseningone or more of the set-screws 33 and sliding one or both of the jawmembers 30 and 31 on the bar so as to permit detachment of the entiregrinding mechanism from the studs or posts.

Our invention not being limited to the precise and exact structuralfeatures herein shown and described, it is to be understood that manyminor changes may be made in this embodiment of our construction without departure from the substance and essence of our invention.

We claim:

1. The combination of a planer having a frame, a platen and aplaner-cylinder equipped with knives, a pair of studs mounted on saidframe, a bar, a plurality of jaw members slidable on said bar andadapted to engage said studs, a grinder slidable on said bar and adaptedto sharpen the edges of the knives while the knives are in that portionof their rotation in which they meet the work and in parallelism withthe surface of said platen, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a planer having a frame, a platen, and aplaner-cylinder equipped with knives, a grindersupport, means comprisingstuds and jaw members adapted to engage therewith for securing saidgrinder support on said frame, a rotary grinder slidable on saidsupport, means to prevent vibrations of the grinder and a motor forrotating said grinder also mounted on said support, said grinder beingadapted to sharpen the edges of the knives while the knives are in thatportion of their rotation in which they meet the work and in parallelismwith the surface of said platen, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a planer having a frame, a platen, and aplaner-cylinder equipped with knives, a grinder support mounted on saidframe, a rotary grinder slidable on said support, a driving motor onsaid support, a belt connection between said motor and grinder,permitting said grinder to move toward and from the motor, abelttightener for said belt, said grinder being adapted to sharpen theedges of the knives while the knives are in that portion of theirrotation in which they meet the work and in parallelism with the surfaceof said platen, and means for yieldingly maintaining said grinder inposition, substantially as described.

4. In a planer, the combination of a frame, a platen, a cylinder-supportadjustable toward and from and in parallel relation to said platen, arotary cylinder equipped with knives mounted on said support, agrindersupport also mounted on said cylinder-support, and a grindermovable on said support and adapted to grind the edges of the kniveswhile the knives are in that portion of their rotation in which theymeet the work and in parallelism with the surface of said platen,substantially as described.

5. In a planer, the combination of a frame,

a platen, a cylinder-support adjustable toward and from and in parallelrelation with said platen, a rotary cylinder equipped with knives onsaid support, a grinder-support on said cylinder-support, and a grindermovable on said support and adjustable relatively to said support towardand from the knives of said cylinder, and adapted to sharpen the edgesof the knives while the knives are in that portion of their rotation inwhich they meet the work and in parallelism with the surface of saidplaten, substantially as described.

6. In a planer, the combination of a frame, a platen, a cylinder-supportadjustable toward and from and in parallel relation with said platen, arotary cylinder equipped with knives mounted on said support, agrindersupport mounted on said cylinder-support, arotary grinder movableon said support and adapted to sharpen the edges of the knives while theknives are in that portion of their rotation in which they meet the workand in parallelism with the surface of said platen, and means to rotatesaid grinder, substantially as described.

7. In a planer, the combination of a frame, a platen, a cylinder-supportadjustable toward and from and in parallel relation with said platen, arotary cylinder equipped with knives mounted on said support, a pair ofstuds on said cylinder-support, a bar sus pended from said studs, and agrinder slidable on said bar and adapted to sharpen the edges of theknives while the knives are in that portion of their rotation in whichthey meet the work and in parallelism with the surface of said platen,substantially as described.

8. In a planer, the combination with a frame, of a platen, acylinder-support ads justable toward and from and in parallel relationwith said platen, a rotary cylinder equipped with knives mounted on saidsup port, studs on said cylinder-support, a bar detachably secured tosaid studs, a rotary grinder slidable on said bar and adapted to sharpenthe edges of the knives while the knives are in that portion of theirrotation in which they meet the work and in parallelism with the surfaceof said platen, yielding means for holding said grinder in grindingposition and a motor on said bar to drive said grinder, substantially asdescribed.

9. In a planer, the combination of a frame, a platen, a cylinder-supportadjustable toward and from and in parallel relation with said platen, arotary cylinder equipped with knives mounted on said support, a pair ofstuds on said cylinder-support, a bar detachably secured to said studs,a rotary grinder slidable on said bar and adapted to sharpen the edgesof the knives while the knives are in that portion of their rotation inwhich they meet the work and in parallelism with the surface of saidplaten, a device for adjusting the position of the grinder, and yieldingmeans for holding said grinder in adjusted position, a driving motor onsaid bar, a belt connecting said motor to said grinder, and abelt-tightener acting on said belt, substantially as described.

10. In a planer, the combination of a frame, a platen, acylinder-support adjustable toward and from and in parallel relationWith said platen, a rotary cylinder equipped With knives mounted on saidsupport, a driving motor on said support, a connection between saidmotor and grinder, a pair of studs on said support, a bar detaohablysecured to said studs, a rotary grinder slidable on said bar and adaptedto sharpen the edges of the knives While they are in that portion oftheir rotation in Which they meet the work, means for preventingvibration of the grinder, and yielding means for holding the grinder ingrinding position, substantially as described.

WILLIAM HARPER. FRANK WILLARD CONVERSE.

Witnesses to the signature of William Harper:

EARL L. KARsTAEDT, L. M. RANDALL. WVitnesses to the signature of FrankW. Converse:

LAURA Ross, L. S. OLSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

